Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-20
BETTER HORSES WANTED.
Tho Animal Needed 10 Carry n Cav
alryman in thc Indian Country.
FROM ne .''e1o YORK Sun.

FROM ne Ne1o York Sun.
RAPID CITY, DAB, an. 81 had talk
with W. w, Davis to-day about the horses
furnished to the United States cavalry.
Davis is alternately cowboy and a
frontier newspaper man, and has visited
the majority of the army posts east OF the
Rockies. lie said $3.50
There is scarcely a'good horse in the
army. The universal complaint which
cavalry men make about their mounts is
that the horses can't keep up on their
feed. Horses for the army are pur-
chased by boards oieXperts appointed tor
the purpose. Trad .tion, itnot regulation.
lmpels them to 60 TO the blue grass region
OF kentucky with an occasional dash
into Missouri to make their pur-
chases. They send notice ahead to
breeders and dealers that they will
arrive on certain date. ThereupOn the
breeders and dealers begin to rustic
around to get stock doctored up. That
they have way OF getting there in the
matter OF doctoring the stock is shown by
the fact that 10 per cent. OF all horses pur-
chased are condemned as unfit for use on
arrival at the Western posts. The Jour-
ney West gives the animals time TO get
rid OF the effects OF the drugs. The rest of
the horses can be used, but they are not
at all well fitted tor the SER
vice for the reason that they
have not been raised properly.
They are grain fed, while cavalry horses
out here must live as the cattle do on the
ranges-they must rustic. In actual SER
vice they get nothing but grass. Like
other tenderieet, they lose courage the
minute the grub gels short. In few
days hard riding 1t Is no uncommon thing
to see sixty or seventy leo horses follow
ing "a command. They have given out,
pushed. The army could not catch the
ApacheS because the Apaches had better
mounts; besides, their horses did not
have TO carry such loads.
"Some idea OF what is required OF cav
airy horse can be gained from a state
ment OF what ii has TO carry. The cav
alryman will weigh 100 pounds, to which
must be added saddle. bride, saddle
blankets, saddle bags and contents, nose
bag, side lines, larlat, picket pin, canteen
OF water, pOnchO, blanket, car bine, pistol.
100 rounds OF ammunition, three DAYS
rations, curTyc0mb, horse brush, set of
horse s1oes, some hOrshoe nails, change
of underclOtning, and an overcoat for the
man, or in all about 800 pounds. VIII
all these traps about tue animal it must
travel from sunrise to sunset over no road
at all. 1t takes horse with muscles OF
steel and constitution of adamant to
stand that sort of thing. The re&ula-
tiOns provide the sizes, ages and weights
Of the different horses to be used as fol-
lows:
Cavalry Horse-To be geldlngs of
hardy coiHrs, sound in all particulars, in
good condition, we'll broken to the saddle,
from 10 IL hands high, and not less than
nor more than 8 years old. Minimum
weight, $50 pounds
sit is fact that little range mustangs
and cayuses do better in an Indian chase
or thief roundup than the best granted
horse conscientiously purchased in the
East under these regulations
"What is the remedy? Do you think
mustangs should be purchased?'
mo. Good grass-fed horses can be
purchased, but l understand that a move
ment Is on foot to establish government
stud farms for breeding horses for the
service. The idea is not new. The
French government maintains four such
farms. When Macmillan came over to
conquer Mexico he brought lot OF gov
ernment-bred horses, and many of
them were left behind at the
exodus. Down in Durango, Mexico,
the range horses have been immensely
improved by crossing with these horses
brought over by the Frenchmen. There
are some objections to the proposed inno-
walton, but 1t would produce a class OF
horses well adapted for the service in
stead of the present worthless lot of ami
mails that United states cavalrymen have
to use. Whether practical or not, this
scheme will be pushed. If it doesn't pan
out, then some way of getting grass-fed
or range horses should be devised"